Rolling In the Deep
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: He'd fallen for her, and hard. He knew that. And he knew that she knew it too. Until an accident with the Occidental Testing Lab took it all away. Now, it's up to the rest of the team to help her reconnect with them. The big problem? Well, it's not just a matter of simple memory loss. She has no recollection of Eureka at all- or at least, the people.
1. Chapter 1

**Rolling In the Deep**

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**********Summary: He'd fallen for her, and hard. He knew that. And he knew that she knew it too. Until an accident with the Occidental Testing Lab took it all away. Now, it's up to the rest of the team to help her reconnect with them. The big problem? Well, it's not just a matter of simple memory loss. She has no recollection of Eureka at all- or, at least, the people. **

"I'm telling you, this is the latest in testing."

"And... what, exactly does it do?" Jo asked, stepping back several feet from Parrish. He chuckled softly and rolled his eyes.

"When the buttons are pressed, a force field is brought up-"

"A force field?" She questioned, eyebrows raised. "How is this any different than any other force field we program?"

Parrish gave her a wide, annoying smile. "It's different because once you step into this field, it conforms to your body and acts as a barrier against things such as virtual plague, screwed up hazes, deadly gases..."

"We get it." Fargo said, holding up a hand.

"So, which one of you wants to try it first?" Parrish asked. Silence passed between the Director and his Head of Security for several minutes, before Jo stepped forward.

"What the hell. I'll try it."

"Excellent." Parrish quickly turned the field off, allowing her to step up to space. "Go right ahead." She did so, watching him. "Now, I'll turn the field on-" He did so, pressing several buttons and switching on several dials. The rose-colored force field came up again, and slowly, began to conform to her body. She watched it glom onto her, and after a moment, let a small smile pass over her lips. But it quickly faded when sparks shot out from the control panel.

"What the hell? What's happening?"

"Parrish! Turn it off!"

Instant chaos erupted and she watched as the two men tried desperately to turn the field off, to no avail. Small shocks of electricity began working their way up her body, causing her to jump in surprise. "Ow! Turn it off!"

She didn't hear their responses, because of the sudden jolt of electricity making its way up her spine. The field that had conformed to her earlier only made the shock worse; minutes later, said shock was replaced with what looked like hives or welts, jumping out all over her skin. She quickly took her jacket off, and pulled up her sleeves, watching in horror as the red welts turned a sickening black and began to clump together. A moment passed where she couldn't breathe, and when she finally did, her lungs burned with the effort. She reached up, taking her head in her hands to stop the pounding in her ears, only to pull out handfuls of long black hair. The hair fell from her fingers, and she stared in horror as the black clumps began to drip to the floor, where once skin had been.

Fargo and Parrish looked up as Jo's scream reached their ears, and their blood ran cold as it rang throughout the room.

"Call Carter! _DO IT_!" Fargo snapped; one of the other testers quickly did as told. In a matter of minutes, Jack, Grace and Allison were in the lab, watching as the control panel finally died with one last gasping spark.

"Jo!" The two women had to hold Carter back, lest he join Jo in the agony she was experiencing. Once the panel was dead, the field evaporated and Jo collapsed to the floor. Her whole body convulsed, and her eyes rolled back. The amount of shock sustained by the field still conformed to her figure was enough to put her in an epileptic seizure for the next two decades.

"We have to hold her steady! Jack, hold her head!" Allison ordered, as Grace took hold of her legs and held her down.

"What's wrong with her?" Jack demanded, looking up at the two.

"She's having a seizure-"

"But she's not epileptic-"

"_It doesn't matter! That amount of shock could kill a person a hundred times over! We'll be lucky if she comes out of this able to speak properly_!"

"So it's like... those shock therapy baths they'd give mentally ill people in the forties?" Carter asked.

"Basically." Allison replied. She called for back up, and then returned her attention to the woman she considered one of her closest friends. "Come on, Jo! I need you to breathe!" She watched as the woman's convulsions became more and more violent, one after another, without allowing her to take a breath. It was almost like she couldn't.

After a moment, Allison ripped open Jo's blouse and pressed her chest down- a feeble attempt to get the woman to stay still. But even then, she could feel the rapid pumping of her heart, feel the sluggish contraction of her lungs, the slowling of her blood, and the sprint of her pulse. In that one moment, she could feel Jo's kidneys beginning to shut down, and the cracking of her vertebrae. She could feel the muscles of her body convulse and tighten, felt the valves of her heart begin to harden, and the constant quick snap of her brain stem. Although being able to discern which was really happening and which was imaginarily caused by the ordeal, she couldn't tell. "Come on Jo! Hang in there! We need you!" She cried, watching the woman's head convulse rapidly within Carter's gentle grasp.

Carter, for his part, watched in horror as his best friend began to die on the floor in front of him. Only able to hold her head, he was unable to do anything but pray that she would pull through. Although, if it had been as bad as it looked when he got there, the chances of Jo living were slim to none. Tears began to cloud his vision, and he leaned down. "Please Jo. You can't leave us, not like this. You're strong. You have to pull through. Please, Jojo."

His soft whisper brushed against her hair, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. They all continued to struggle to gain control of her body, and as the EMTs arrived, followed quickly by Zane- who had noticed the commotion rushing past the main research lab- it seemed that they'd lose the young woman they'd all come to love and respect. Once Zane and the EMTs were among the smaller group, Allison had given up hope of saving her, but couldn't bear to remove her hands from Jo's chest.

And suddenly, to everyone's amazement and relief, her eyes snapped open and she sat up, vomiting blood.


	2. Chapter 2

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

She shoved away from Carter, bending over and emptying the contents of her stomach onto the lab floor.

The contents being blood, that is.

Several moments passed, with only the sound of Jo wretching. They all relished the sound of their friend vomiting up blood, because it meant that she was alive. Now if they could just get her to speak. Carter watched, ashen, as clots and strings of blood fell from his best friend's lips and splattered to the floor in front of her. Her fingers became tinged, and he noticed that for once, her lips were stained red, but not from gloss. She struggled to take a deep breath, closing her eyes for several minutes before resuming her vomiting.

Twenty minutes.

Thirty.

Forty.

Gently, Carter stroked her back, noticing the missing strand of hair. As his eyes moved down, he saw the chunks of skin missing from her body, and suddenly began to worry. When she finally seemed to finish vomiting, she stayed where she was, trying to catch her breath. Eventually, her eyes snapped open and she glanced around quickly, fighting the urge to once again cough blood.

"What's wrong with her? Carter?" Zane demanded, trying to get close to her, but unable to because Allison blocked his path.

"She's suffered a severe shock, and an epiltic type seizure."

"She's coughing blood!"

"Zane, I know. It's an attempt to purge her system. A defense-mechanism that her body's using to absorb the shock. Give her ti-"

"Are you okay, Jo?" When she finally finished vomiting, she reached up, running the back of her hand across her lips, not that it did any good. Finally able to take a breath, she turned around, only to find herself surrounded by half of GD's staff. She turned her attention to Jack, who reached up, wiping the streak of blood off her cheek. "Are you all right? You scared us." She nodded.

"Yeah. I... I'm fine... Carter." She added his name almost as an afterthought, but he attributed it to the shock of the field. Slowly, she climbed to her feet, reaching up to hold the back of her head. "Oh God, my head." Her eyes closed briefly, and she took a deep breath. When her eyes opened again, she gaze down at Grace, who still sat on the floor. "I feel... like I've been... run over by a ten-ton truck." She hissed, pulling her hand away from her head, staring at the strands of hair in her hand curiously. "What happened?" Her voice was soft, confused, as she turned to stare at everyone.

They shared concerned looks, before Allison went to her. "Jo, you suffered a severe electric shock. That sent you into a seizure, and multiple organ failure in a matter of minutes. You're body's been through a severe trauma, and we need to get you up to the infirmary so I can run some tests and make sure everything's okay. All right?" She nodded, reaching back to hold her head.

She turned to Carter. He reached up, cradling her cheek, concern in his eyes. After a moment, she pulled away and turned back to Allison. "Okay. Let's get the tests over with." Relieved, Allison and Grace led Jo from the lab, keeping tight to her. Zane, Carter and Fargo watched her go.

"We nearly lost her. I... I've seen her survive hundreds of accidents, but... never one this severe." Fargo said, crossing his arms. Carter nodded, examining the blood on his hand.

"I've never been so scared... for a moment, I thought she was going to die in my arms. When Allison said multiple organ failure, my heart lept into my throat."

Zane kept quiet.

Several moments passed before the three men made their way to the infirmary. They stood in the doorway, watching as Allison checked Jo's vitals and ran several tests. They slipped inside when she had Jo step into the shower and shut the door. As soon as the water started, Carter asked,

"How is she?"

Allison sighed. "Well, her vitals appear stable, and her tests are normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. So far."

A scream broke the conversation, and they rushed towards the shower. Two nurses were already helping Jo from the shower stall, a towel wrapped around her.

"What happened?" Allison demanded. Neither nurse said anything, just motioned towards the shower. Quickly, they all turned their attention to it. Upon closer inspection, they saw what had made Jo scream. Chunks of burnt flesh dotted the stall floor, along with several strands- even clumps- of hair. Blood spotted the floor, and after a moment, Allison returned to her patient. Jo lay in one of the beds, covered in a blanket, her wet hair hanging in strings around her face. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. They suddenly snapped open and she sat up, pushing the blanket away. Blood coated the sheets and her legs- for a moment, she thought she'd given birth, the amount of blood was staggering.

"Is it menstrual blood?" Carter asked, going to Jo and trying to calm her down. Allison shook her head.

"We don't know-"

"Her ovaries are failing." Everyone looked up as Grace rushed into the infirmary, having made a dash from the testing lab with new results.

"What do you mean-"

"I mean her ovaries are failing! She's bleeding out- internal damage from the shock. There's a shot we can give her that will stop it; she'll be able to have children, but it's a heavy dose-"

"Just give it to her!" Carter snapped, holding Jo close. The young woman buried her face in his chest, shaking with horror. Several minutes passed, but eventually Allison was able to give her the drug. Not long after administering the drug, she also gave her a sedative to help her sleep. Once she was sound asleep, Allison brought everyone out into the hall and shut the door softly behind her.

"I think she suffered internal damage, but her tests are normal. Until we find out what's truly wrong, we all need to keep a close watch on her. Okay?"


	3. Chapter 3

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to purplepotatopig, mondler1998 and javadreamer for reviewing 2.**

Carter slipped into the infirmary, only to find Zane at Jo's side, grasping her hand. Jo slept soundly, her chest slowly rising and falling. For a moment, Carter just watched his best friend sleep.

"How is she?" Zane shrugged.

"Sleeping. I hope."

"I put her into an induced coma. It'll give her body time to recoup and us time to figure out what's wrong." Allison said, coming up behind Carter. He turned to her.

"How... how long will she be... induced?" He asked, horrified.

"A week, maybe two." Allison said. After a moment, Zane leaned down.

"You have to pull through, Jojo. You can't leave us, not like this. You're too important to us. We need you. Eureka needs you." Then, he climbed onto the bed, laying beside her as a nurse rushed to stop him.

"Sir-"

"It's okay." Allison said, stopping the woman. "He won't hurt her." She watched as Zane settled next to Jo, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her close. Allison turned to Carter. "Come on, let's give them some time." They shut the door softly behind them, and immediately found themselves surrounded by their small group. Questions came at them from all corners, and Allison held up a hand. "She's-"

"In a coma." Jack said, turning back to watch Zane and Jo through the glass door. Part of him was checking to make sure Zane wasn't taking advantage of her; another was making sure he was still there, and he was, his arm wrapped around her waist, his head on the pillow beside hers.

_"What?"_ Chaos erupted in the form of worried questions. It took several minutes for Allison to silence the group.

"She'll be okay, won't she?" Holly asked, chewing on a strand of red hair.

"Right now, it's hard to tell. I placed her into a medically induced coma to give her body time to recoup. It'll give her time to rest and regain her strength, and also give us enough time to figure out what's going on. Right now, it's the best option."

They all stayed silent, accepting Allison's words. Henry eventually broke the silence. "We should all head home and get some sleep. Give Jo time to herself." And slowly, they all departed. Once they were all gone, Allison slipped back into the infirmary, shutting the door softly. But it didn't latch, because Jack had grabbed onto it and was slipping inside.

"Jack, go home and get some sleep. You need it." He shook his head.

"I'm not going."

"Jack."

"I'm staying with her. I'm not leaving her. I want to be here when she wakes up."

"That could take... two weeks or more, Jack."

"I don't care. I'm not going anywhere." He replied, occupying the seat Zane had vacated when he climbed onto the bed. Allison glanced at Zane, now sound asleep with Jo in his arms.

"Neither is Zane."

"Go home, Ali. I'll stay. Spend some time with your family." She shook her head.

"Jo is a part of my family."

They stayed for two hours, until a nurse shoved them both out the door, with orders to go down to Cafe Diem and get food. They fought her, but only agreed to go when she promised to contact them if anything happened or changed. So reluctantly, they entered the small diner and joined their friends at their usual table in the back, sliding into seats with discouraged looks on their faces.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Henry asked, sipping his coffee as Vincent came and took their orders.

"Got kicked out of the infirmary. Ordered to go get food." Jack said, accepting the coffee Vincent set in front of him.

"I... I can't get the image of her convulsing out of my mind. It was... it was like she had no control over her body... like... almost like a possession..." Fargo shivered, remembering the sudden chaos that had erupted when Jo hit the floor.

"I held her head in my hands, and... all I did was look into her eyes, and it took me a moment to... to realized that... that her eyes had rolled up in her head and what I was staring at was the whites of her eyes. She was shaking so violently that... there were minutes- seconds, really- that I thought I heard her brain stem snap. I watched her start to die... I held my best friend's head as she started to die..."

Gently, Grace reached over and took Carter's hand, squeezing.

"I could feel- _pyhsicallly feel_- her organs go into multiple failure. Her... her heart began to stop and her... kidneys started to shut down. I held her chest down, and... I felt her lungs collapse and the valves of her heart begin to harden. She shook so violently, that, when you removed your hands to readjust the hold on her..." She looked up at Carter. "It was so _violent_, that when you let her go, all that happened, was her head moving. The only sound I heard for seconds was... was the steady banging as her head hit the floor. _Over_ and _over_ and _over_ until you got a strong hold on her again, and then it stopped. To be honest, I'll be amazed if she doesn't have brain damage. I'm amazed she's able to talk and walk and move. With the amount of force used when her head smashed against the floor, she should be completely brain damaged, or brain dead even. But... the brain scans are _fine_." Quickly, Allison wiped the tears away. The small group sat in silence for several minutes, each tormented by their own memories of the accident, when Allison's beeper began to sound. She quickly snatched up the beeper and read the message.

"Oh God!"

"What is it, what's wrong?" She climbed to her feet, not looking at the group.

"It's Jo."


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

Allison rushed ahead of everyone, bursting through the infirmary doors in a panic. What met her was a scene she couldn't believe.

Zane was back in his chair by Jo's bed, head in his hands. Jo was nowhere to be found.

"Zane!" The younger man looked up. "Where is she? Where's Jo?" She demanded, rushing to him. Once everyone else caught up with her, they hung back taking the scene in, all except Carter, who rushed to the empty, messy bed. Zane didn't respond. After a moment, Jack went to the younger man, shoving Allison aside and grabbing the front of Zane's shirt. He pulled him to his feet and shoved him up against the wall.

"Where is she! I swear, if you've done anything to her, you'll be spending the rest of your life in my jail cell!" Fear for his best friend ran through his veins and fueled his outburst. _"WHERE IS SHE?"_ He shook the younger man roughly, and finally, Zane responded. He pointed further back into the infirmary. Everyone turned to look at what Zane was pointing at, and time seemed to stop.

Jo was on the floor, crawling towards them. She reminded them all of the girl from The Grudge films. The only exception, was that no death rattle was coming from her throat. Several nurses hurried towards her, reaching out and grabbing ahold of her shoulders. They pulled her to her feet, but she collapsed to the ground, her legs unable to hold her weight. Again, the nurses helped her to her feet, holding her tight around the waist to keep her standing. Allison rushed towards them, the others behind her. But she stopped when Jo looked up. She threw her head back, blood pouring from her mouth and down her chin. It dripped onto the floor, and she pulled away from the nurses, reaching out for Allison, collapsing to her knees.

She raised her head and stared into the older woman's eyes as the blood flowed freely from her mouth, like water from the Fountain of Youth. The question in her eyes made Allison's blood run cold.

_I'm dying, aren't I?_

Then, they all watched as her arms gave out and she collapsed, hitting the floor. Her head smacked hard against the infirmary floor, so hard that when it bounced back, they could just make out the blood on the back of her head. She'd cracked her skull, but didn't seem to notice. She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, legs laying to the right, one atop the other. Holly threw her hands over her ears as the distinctive death rattle began to pierce the air, and the others all watched in horror as Jo began to die.

All except for Allison.

The doctor rushed towards her friend, throwing herself by the younger woman's side and taking her head into her hands. She pressed a palm to the back of Jo's head and shouted orders; the others were removed, all except for Zane and Carter, who had to be physically removed from the room. They all watched in fear as Allison and the others of the infirmary staff worked to save Jo.

Jo never left the floor, and Allison never left her side. Every so often, others would enter the infirmary, with some sort of equitment. Those in the infirmary worked for two hours, compressing and checking, injecting and cutting. They bandaged, removed, and stitched off and on, talking heatedly every so often. Eventually, one of the nurses came over and slid the curtain across the door, blocking their view.

Another two hours passed.

Eventually, a nurse slipped out of the infirmary, and immediately, the group surrounded her.

"She's stable."

"Can we see her?" Carter demanded. She nodded, and they followed her back into the infirmary. Allison sat on the edge of Jo's bed, holding an oxygen mask to the younger's woman's mouth, ordering her in a gentle voice to breath slow. Her hair was messy and she was pale, frightened. "What happened?" Carter asked once they got close enough. Both women turned to look at him. But it was Allison that spoke.

"We don't know. But-"

"You don't know? What do you _mean you don't know, Allison_?" Carter snapped, jumping on Allison as he went to Jo's side. The others all gathered around the bed. All except for Zane, who hung back.

"We don't know, Jack! We've got tests running as we speak! The important this is that Jo is back with us, and she's stable."

"For now." Zane whispered, causing everyone to turn to him. Jo's eyes filled with pain at the coldness of his voice, and he sighed. "I'm sorry, I..." After a moment, Jo reached up and pushed Allison's hand away. Taking a shaky breath, she asked,

"Can I go home now, Allison? Please? I don't want to be here any longer."

"You have to stay here for another few days, maybe a week, at least, okay? Until we find out what's causing this." Allison told her. "Keep breathing. Slow, deep breaths." She returned the mask to her face, and after a moment, Jo did as told.

"You scared us, Jo. We thought we'd lost you." Carter said, reaching out to brush a strand of hair away from her face. She glanced at him, before her eyes turned and focused on Zane. He didn't move towards her.

"We nearly did." Allison said. "She has a crack in her skull that has to be kept wrapped, we opened her chest and for a few minutes had to pump her heart manually, we had to put her on oxygen to get her breathing again... She's been through hell and back, twice. She needs to stay down. No strenous activity, no working, no _guns_." Allison emphasized, looking at Jo, who sighed. "If we're lucky, we'll know what this is by the end of the week. But for now, I want her under my care."

"Then we'll take her home. SARAH can watch over her when you're here-" Jack started.

"_NO! She's not going home, Jack!_ She doesn't have the health, let alone the _strength_ to go home now. She's staying here and so am I. Jo isn't going anywhere for the next five days. And if I catch _any_ of you trying to take her out of this infirmary, I will personally kill you myself. Are we understood?" Everyone nodded. She turned back to Jo; her maternal instincts kicking in, for the girl she considered family. Jo looked up at her, before her dark eyes scanned each face.

They landed on Zane.


	5. Chapter 5

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"What happened, Zane?"

The younger man looked up into Allison's eyes. They hadn't left the infirmary, just moved into further away from Jo's bed to talk. After a moment, Zane sighed.

"I don't know. One... one minute, we're both sound asleep, and the next, I wake up and she's gone. I got up to find her, and she's standing in the shower, nude. I could see every vertebrae of her back, all her ribs, the outline of her skull... I hurried to help her, and one of the nurses grabbed me and shoved me back to the bed, saying that they'd take care of her. She was dripping wet and shaking. Skin was missing from her body, and..." He stopped, unable to go on. "The next thing I know, Carter's throwing me against the wall, and she's crawling towards us, bleeding from the mouth. She was _fine_ when I returned to her bed. I _swear_."

Allison swallowed, fighting the images that glimpsed across her mind; moments of Jo convulsing on the floor as they opened her chest; the sudden stillness of her body as she was forced to reach in and take her friend's heart in her hand. The whispered prayers with each squeeze of Jo's heart. The feel of blood as it soaked her hair. It had taken almost five hours to bring her back, and finally, Jo was stable. Allison kept glancing back towards Jo's bed, and no one blamed her.

"Do we know what's causing it?" Holly asked. Grace shook her head.

"No clue."

"It's like... it's like she gone into permanent shock." Allison said, turning back to check on Jo. No one said anything, and after a moment, she left, going back to her patient. Slowly, the others followed. Allison sat beside Jo, gently removing the oxygen mask. "How are you feeling, Jo?"

The younger woman shrugged. "Okay. Can I go?" She asked, hope in her eyes. Allison shook her head.

"No. Not right now. I'm sorry."

The younger woman nodded, glancing at Carter. "You hang in there, Jo. We need you. You can't leave us yet." He smiled at her, and after a moment, she let a small smile tug at her lips. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, whispering softly to her, as everyone else watched. A small flash of jealousy entered Allison's conscious before it fled. "I love you, Jo, you know that?" She nodded, confused. Her brow furrowed as Carter pressed another kiss to her forehead. When he pulled away, she looked up at him and, stammered,

"I... I love you, too... Carter." She said the name like she'd never heard it before, stared at him as though she'd never met him. Only Zane caught the confused glance she gave Jack, and came to the conclusion that it was something else causing it and not the stress her body had been through in the last twenty-four hours.

Eventually, they all said their goodnights and left for home, all except Allison and Zane. They sat by Jo's beside, watching her as she finally drifted off to sleep, checking her every once and a while. They shared stories, told each other the fears that had run through them that day, keeping close watch on her. Eventually, though, both drifted off, in chairs set up by her bed.

Around two the next morning, Jo's eyes fluttered open, and she reached up, slowly removing the oxygen mask. She slowly pushed herself up and looked around. Every muscle of her body screamed in pain, and she swallowed the gasp making its way up her throat. Glancing around, she saw Allison and Zane curled up in the chairs on opposite sides of her bed, and quietly, she moved to the edge. Taking it easy, she gently put her feet on the floor, pressing the balls of her feet until she was certain she made contact with the cold ground. It took a moment, before she was able to stand upright, and the first unassisted steps she took were shaky and slow. A smile quickly crossed her face, and she looked around, searching for her clothes.

She found nothing.

So instead, she had to settle for a pair of scrubs and her boots. Better than nothing. A moment passed as she reached the door; she turned to look back at the sleeping forms of her friends, for a moment, regretting her decision. But only for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the infirmary door and slipped out into the hall, shutting it softly behind her. Then, she made her way out of GD.

Once she reached downtown Eureka, she continued along the road, glancing back periodically to make sure she wasn't being followed. When footsteps sounded behind her, she ducked into Cafe Diem, glancing out the window.

"Can I... Jo?" She gasped and turned, finding only Vincent standing before her. He stared at her with shock in his eyes. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be in GD's infirmary-" She bit her lip, thinking quickly.

"They... they said I could go."

He nodded slowly, accepting the answer; attributing her strange behavior to the trauma of earlier. After a moment, she went to the counter and took a seat. "I... I was wondering if I could get a... something to drink?"

"Of course." He replied, returning to work. "What'll it be? Your usual?" She nodded. It took only a matter of minutes for him to fix it, and she smiled when he set it in front of her. "There you go."

"Thank you, Vincent."

"You're welcome, Jo." He watched her take a sip, before returning to work.

The next morning, Zane awoke to Allison shouting. He looked around, confused for a moment, sore from the uncomfortable chair. "What happened?" He asked, forcing himself to wake up. Allison came over to him.

"I can't find Jo." She replied.

"What do you mean you can't find Jo, Allison? She's right-" He stopped, as his eyes landed on her empty bed. The sheets were rumpled, but the head of security was nowhere to be found. After a moment, Zane snapped into action, fueled by panic. _"Where's Jo? Has anyone seen Jo?"_


	6. Chapter 6

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

A full-blown search was called, Carter leading. They turned up nothing for several hours. It was only when Carter and Allison returned home that Jo was found. She was curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, a cup of steaming tea in her hands.

"Jo?" Carter choked out, as the young woman raised her head. A mix of emotions filled him as he recognized the dark eyes.

Anger, for one.

Followed quickly by relief.

He wanted to kill her. Throw her over his knee and paddle her. Lock her in his cell and never let her out.

Instead, he went to the sofa and hugged her.

"Where have you been?" He demanded softly, never letting her go. "We were scared to death." She shrugged.

"Went to Cafe Diem. Then walked around town and went to the sheriff's office. Slept in the cell. Came here." She replied, as he finally pulled away.

"How?" Allison finally asked, going to them. "I told you that you were specifically to stay at the infirmary. You weren't supposed to leave-"

She shrugged. "You were asleep, so..."

"Well, we're just glad you're safe." Carter said, sitting beside her. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Footsteps soon bounded down the stairs, and Kevin appeared, Jenna in his arms.

"Hey Jo. Do you want to come upstairs and help me teach Jenna how to dance?" She looked up at him. The little girl reached out for Jo, who gave him a quick smile.

"I'd-"

"Maybe some other time, Kev." Allison cut in, to Jo's shock. He turned to his mom. "Jo isn't feeling well. She needs to go to the infirmary. Maybe next time." The teenager nodded, heading back upstairs. Once he was gone, Jo turned on Allison.

"I feel fine! I don't need to go to the infirmary!"

"Need I remind you, Jo, that you died_ twice_ in the last twenty-four hours?" Allison replied, stepping towards her. The younger woman took a deep breath, before setting her cup on the table and throwing the blanket off of herself. She stood, shaking off Jack's hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've never felt better. I'm just fine." Then, she shoved past Allison and went to the door. "SARAH, door." A moment passed.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go, Jo."

"Why not?" She asked, turning her gaze upward.

"Allison is right. You need to go to the infirmary." SARAH replied, the femininess of Fargo's voice slowly grating on her already fragile nerves.

"I told you, I feel fine." Jo replied. Then, she turned back to the door. "SARAH, door."

Once again, the door refused to open. By now, Jo was losing her patience.

"You need to stay here, Jo." SARAH said. The woman clenched her jaw.

"SARAH, DOOR."

Again, it didn't budge. "I'm sorry, Jo."

A couple silent moments passed. Suddenly,

_"DOOR!"_ Nothing. _"YOU OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR, AND YOU OPEN IT NOW!"_

"I can't, Jo."

"You open this door, SARAH, or I will dismantle your hardwiring _PIECE BY PIECE. NOW OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR!"_

Slowly, the door swung open. And without a moment's hesitation, Jo slipped out, hurrying up the stairs. Jack and Allison stared after her, shocked. Neither had ever seen Jo loose her temper like she had just now. When it finally sank in, Carter grabbed his jacket and rushed out the door, Allison behind him.

It took Jo a matter of minutes to put a good distance between herself and Allison and Carter. As she walked along the road, she thought back on what had happened in the last few hours. She didn't remember much. The sound of an engine coming up to her caused her to stop and turn. The man stared at her for several minutes, before turning the engine off and climbing off the motorcycle.

"Jo?" She stared at him, confused.

"... Yes?" A look of relief crossed his face and he rushed to her, throwing his arms around her and lifting her off the ground.

"Thank god. We've been looking for you for hours. Why did you run off like that? Allison told you not to leave the infirmary." He said, setting her down and looking into her face.

"I... I wanted to go home." She stammered, never breaking her confused gaze.

"Well, you could have waited until this morning to tell us." She blushed.

"Sorry." He sighed.

"It's okay. Just as long as you're safe." He said, reaching up to cup her cheek. "Now, how about I take you back into town?" She nodded. He went back to the motorcycle and got on; she quickly followed, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. As he started up the motor, she asked,

"Who are you?"

"You okay?" He called, glancing back at her.

"Zane?" She asked, confused. He nodded, satisfied that she was okay, and then they were off, heading towards Eureka.

Allison slammed her phone down on the table, causing everyone else to jump. The small group was sitting at a table at Cafe Diem, trying to figure out where to look next. They'd searched for an hour and a half, and turned up nothing after Jo had left and turned up nothing.

"Um, guys."

Everyone looked up. The door to Cafe Diem opened.

They all watched in shocked silence as Jo walked through the door, dressed in a pair of form fitting jeans and a white tank top, her long dark hair down around her shoulders.


	7. Chapter 7

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**********Thanks to mondler1998 and purplepotatopig for reviewing 6.**

Everyone turned to stare as Jo moved past the group and went to the counter, taking a seat.

"I thought she was supposed to be in a coma, Allison." Holly said, watching the woman close.

"She... she was..." Allison stammered, confused on how her patient could go from dying, to dead, to a coma, to being up and walking about like everything was fine in a short twenty-four hours. It didn't make sense.

"Just as long as she's okay, that's all I care about." Carter said, looking up as Zane walked past them. He nodded to the group before joining Jo. Quickly, Carter got to his feet and rushed to the couple, breaking into their soft conversation. "Hey Jojo. How're you doing?"

She glanced back at him, a small smile flitting across her face.

"Fine... Carter, right?"

"Of course. Who else would I be?" She shrugged.

"Sorry, it's been..." She stopped, looking over her shoulder to see the rest of their small group watching intently.

"Look, Jo, can we talk?" Carter asked, glancing at Zane. "Alone?" The woman sighed in annoyance, but nodded. "I'll be right back." She told Zane, and then she got off the stool, following Jack out of the cafe. Everyone watched until Zane joined them. Allison was the first to speak.

"Zane... what's wrong with Jo?" He bit his lip.

"Honestly, I have no idea."

As soon as they were out of the group's line of sight, Jack grabbed her hand and pulled her into a small alley. He turned to her, taking in her clean, neat appearance. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?" She asked, hands on hips. Carter thought a moment.

"Well, considering that you suffered a severe electric shock, nearly died twice, and was placed into a medically-induced coma... you shouldn't be walking, let alone up and about town now." Jack told her. She shrugged.

"Some people are just natural healers." He took her upper arms, shoving her against the wall.

"Not you, Jo. Whenever this has happened previously, you've been in the infirmary for weeks. This isn't normal. Especially not for you. And especially not by Eureka's standards. I'm worried, we all are. I'm your best friend-"

_"I know!"_ She shouted, shoving him away. "You tell me that _every five minutes_! I don't_ need_ to be _reminded_! _Especially since I DON'T KNOW YOU!"_

He stared at her, startled. "You don't know me? Jo, you were the first person I truly met when Zoe and I came to Eureka. And... we became friends... albeit the fact that it took a long time, but we became friends and partners. We've been partners for years. We've survived so much in this town- wormholes, fires, doomsday ice... going back to 1947 and coming back... and I... I know that Zane isn't who you remember, or the one that you loved, but he loves you. And I know that with everyone getting ready for the Asteaus mission it's stressful, but... but that doesn't give excuse for sudden specific anmesia."

She finally looked up at him, opening her eyes and removing her fingers from her ears. "Are you done?" He stared at her, surprised that she hadn't been listening. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and left the alley, going back to the cafe. It took a moment, before Jack caught up. Everyone at the table in the cafe looked up and watched as Jack grabbed Jo's arm and turned her to face him. Their arguement became a show for the patrons of the cafe, watching from their safe distance behind the glass.

"Were you even listening to me?" He demanded, as she tried to wrench her arm away. "What is wrong with you, Jo? Jo!" He shook her roughly.

"_Nothing_ is wrong with me! Now let me go!" And to Carter's- and everyone else's- amazement, she reared back and slapped him. The contact caused him to release her, and once she was free, she ducked back into the cafe, going the group's table. "I want to go. _Now_." Zane glanced at Allison, who shook her head.

_Don't. Zane, don't let her leave._

"Maybe we'd better stay here." He said, looking back at Jo. Her face darkened, and she grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet.

"I said that I want to go. And when I say now, I mean _now_." She growled, shoving him out the door. Allison was on her feet and rushing for the door by the time the couple made it to Zane's bike.

_"Jo!"_ The younger woman turned back to her. "Don't. Come back to the infirmary, you'll be safe there."

_"Why?"_ Jo asked, stepping towards Allison. "So you can run more _tests_ on me? Tests that don't even give accurate _results_? So you can put me into another coma without my permission? I don't think so." She turned, going back to Zane. Then, she climbed up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. In a matter of minutes, they were gone.

"How could you let her leave?" Jack demanded, a hand on his jaw.

"I didn't have a choice."

"But Zane will take care of her, right?" Grace asked. "He'll bring her back to the infirmary, won't he?"

Allison shrugged, at a loss. "I... I don't know anymore."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non ****Miriena**

The front door slammed, causing Zane to jump. He glanced behind him, reminding himself that he needed to take Jo back to the infirmary. Something wasn't right, but what, they didn't know. Although Jo didn't seem to care about where they were. As soon as she had slammed the door behind her, she was making her way upstairs, investigating. Which was ridiculous, since she knew where everything was. He watched as she went up and down the stairs, looking at everything with wide, amazed eyes.

"You look shocked." She turned, looking at him.

"I... I forgot..."

"Forgot?" He asked, going to her. She automatically loped her arms around his neck, staring into his eyes. She shrugged.

"Just forgot. I've been forgetting a lot of things lately." She said, pulling away. "How to drive, where I work... people's names." She took a seat on the sofa, pulling her knees underneath her. "But I remember Eureka."

"Just Eureka?" He asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa. She nodded.

"Yeah. I came here after getting out of the Army. Dad had... spent a couple days here, and loved it, and thought I would too. It was okay. Typical small town, with its typical small town problems." Zane scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Typical."

"Oh, what, the wormholes and timejumping aren't normal for small towns?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No. Not even close."

He sat beside her, watching her closely. She leaned close, a smile on her face. Her dark eyes danced with what Zane thought was fever. And then, instead of dancing, they appeared to glow. He stumbled back; the pupils of her dark eyes appeared to glow an almost... neon green.

"What's wrong?" She asked, moving closer to him. "Don't you like me?" She climbed into his lap, tangling her fingers in his hair.

"Of... of course." He choked out, never breaking eye contact. The pupils continued to glow green, getting brighter and brighter with each moment. She smiled at him, before leaning down and capturing his lips in a tender kiss.

That soon turned violent.

Her hair fell about them, obscuring their view. He tried to break the kiss, but eventually gave up, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. She bit his lip, smiling at him when she pulled away. He gave her a nervous smile in return, never removing his gaze from her eerie eyes. After a moment, she returned to kissing him, deeping the kiss, delighting in feeling his resistance begin to fall away. Never breaking the kiss, she moved his hand to her rear, and then worked on unbuttoning his overshirt.

In a matter of minutes, they were half clothed on the sofa. She smiled at him, a smile made even creepier because the color of her pupils was getting brighter and brighter with each moment. Minutes passed, before Zane pushed her away, Allison's words ringing in his head.

_It's like she gone into permanent shock. We've got tests running... Her vitals appear stable, and her tests are normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. So far._

"So far." He whispered, watching her. "I'd say this qualifies as out of the ordinary." Then he stood and turned to help her up, only to find her gone. "Jo?" He looked around frantically- the front door was closed, so were the windows. "Jo!"

"Yes?" He turned, she stood on the stairs, in nothing but one of his shirts. It hung open on her body, obscuring her breasts from view. Her dark hair was up in a messy bun, and she was barefoot. Slowly, she came down the stairs, going to him. "How about, we go take a long, hot shower together."

He seriously considered going along with it, but then he saw the glow of her eyes, and decided against. "Maybe some other time, Jojo. I think we need to go to the infirmary right now." He said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door- or trying. She didn't budge, and instead pulled him back with surprising strength. She was strong, but this was unheard of.

"The only place we're going, is upstairs to take a shower." She replied, pulling him upstairs. He heard the shower running in the bathroom, and had no choice but to follow. She shut the door behind them and slowly removed his shirt from around her body. "Now, where were we?" She asked playfully, as she moved towards him. He stumbled back, hitting the wall.

"Look, Jo, we need to go to the infirmary, so Allison can check you out and make sure you're okay-"

"No, the only reason... Allison..." He stared at her, noticing how she stopped and seemed to think before saying the doctor's name. Almost like she couldn't or didn't remember or who Allison was. "wants me at the infirmary is so she can keep me hooked to a machine. I'm not going to be hooked to a machine. Not anymore."

And she captured his lips in a kiss; he shoved her away, staring at her. "What do you mean anymore?" She stared at him.

"What?" She asked, confusion crossing her face.

"What do you mean 'not anymore', Jo?" He asked, slower. She looked at him.

"Look... um..." She struggled to remember his name, pressing her fingers to her forehead as though warding away a headache.

"Zane." He said, teeth clenched.

"Right. Zane." She replied slowly, giving him a quick smile. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm fine."

"You said not anymore. What do you mean by not anymore?" He asked, taking her shoulders and shaking her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nothing. I told you, I'm fine."

He thought a moment, then turned off the shower and snatched up her shirt. "Get dressed."

"Why?"

"Because we're going back to the infirmary."


	9. Chapter 9

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Let go of me! I said let go!"

Everyone looked up. Allison came into the hall, surprised. Zane came towards them, Jo thrown over his shoulder like a rag doll, kicking and screaming. When he stopped in front of the infirmary, he removed her from his shoulder, holding onto her arms as she struggled to break away.

"What... the..."

"You need to run more tests." Zane told them, out of breath. It'd been a struggle to get her out of the house, and then onto his bike. She'd run when they got to GD, and fought him as they walked through the halls, until he finally decided that carrying her was the best option. "And do it now."

"But... Zane... we're running all the tests we can, and they all come out normal. There's nothing wrong with her, according to the test results." He scoffed, as Allison glanced from him to Jo and back.

"Oh really? Normal? Check her eyes." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her to him as she kicked out. Allison raised an eyebrow.

"Her eyes?"

"Just do it!" Zane ordered. After a moment, Allison leaned close, attempting to get a good look at Jo's dark eyes, but the woman refused to make contact. After a moment, Jo slammed her heel onto Zane's foot, and he released her; she rushed down the hall. Jack and Henry, who were coming to see Allison and Grace, managed to stop her.

"It looks like you lost your prisoner, Ali." Carter joked as they got closer. Allison didn't smile. Instead,

"We need to restrain her." She called to a couple of nurses, who took Jo from the men and pulled her into the infirmary.

"Restrain her, why?" Henry asked, as they all followed.

"Did you _not_ see her earlier behavior?" Jack asked him. "She attacked me."

"And she tried to seduce me." Zane put in; everyone turned to look at him.

"When?" Henry asked.

"When we got back to my place." He replied, refusing to indugle any further details. After a moment, he went to Allison. "Look, Allison, please, look at her eyes. The woman sighed.

"I don't know why you want me to look at her eyes, but I will if it'll make you happy." They went to the bed Jo was strapped into. She struggled to pull herself out of the leather retraints, made even worse as a nurse began giving her a sedative. She sat beside Jo, staring into her eyes.

They were the same dark brown they'd always been, the same that danced with delight when she was excited about something. They were the first thing people noticed about her, and the last thing they forgot. After a moment, Allison said,

"They look normal to me, Za-" And suddenly, she saw the pupils start to glow a bright neon green. Her mouth dropped open in shock. She watched for several minutes as the pupils continued to glow, before finally, slowly dulling. Struggling to regain her speech, she turned to the others and motioned them out into the hall.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Zane asked, once they were all out of the infirmary. Allison nodded.

"Saw what?" Grace asked, confused.

"Her-" Zane started.

"Her eyes. The... the irises were... they were fine. But... but it was... it was her pu... pupils that were strange."

"Strange how?" Henry asked, hands on hips.

"They... they glowed a... a really bright neon green." Allison told them, still trying to make sense of what she'd seen. "Almost like a street sign, they were _that_ bright, but it was just her pupils. Zane, is... is that what you were talking about?" She asked, turning to him. He nodded.

"Yeah. And then... and then the behavior started to get _really_ weird. Even by Eureka standards. She... she kissed me, and... and it felt... it felt almost like she was... trying to suck my soul from my body. Just... just violent and... wild and... frightening. I mean... Jo's a little rough when she kisses, but... but not like that. That wasn't Jo kissing me, that was something else."

"You're sure it was something else, Zane?" Jack asked, a tinge of jealousy in his voice. Allison glared at him, suspicion welling in her veins.

"I'm positive, Carter. I know Jo's kiss. That wasn't Jo. That wasn't Jo at all."

"Well, whatever it was, it's taking over her. Now all we need to do is figure out what it is and stop it." Allison said, turning back to look at Jo through the glass door, who was now sound asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**********Thanks to YveofDawn, purplepotatopig and mondler1998 for reviewing 9. **

"It's like she's... possessed. Like... like..."

"_The Exorcist_?" Jack suggested. Everyone turned to look at him. They stood outside the infirmary, watching as the nurses took care of Jo. "Next thing you know, her head will start spinning and she'll spew pea soup and then she'll start crabwalking down the stairs." He chuckled softly.

"Spiderwalking."

Six sets of eyes turned to stare at Zane, who stood near the infirmary doors, watching Jo. "What?" Grace asked. He sighed.

"The girl in _The Exorcist_ spiderwalked down the stairs. Not crabwalked. Crabwalked is when you moved back on your hands and feet and your butt is just inches off the ground. Spiderwalking is doing a london bridge and then walking."

"How do you-"

"I used to do it all the time when I was a kid." He replied.

"Why?" Carter asked. Zane shrugged.

"Because it was fun." The older man thought a moment.

"Could you do it now?"

"Can we _please_ get back to the problem at hand?" Allison snapped. Instantly, the two fell silent, allowing Allison to continue. "Thank you. Now, until we know what's going on, we all need to keep a close eye on Jo. We tail her, we don't let her out of our sight. We go along and humor her. Okay? Act as if nothing is out of the ordinary, until we get this worked out, okay?" Everyone nodded. Satisfied, they returned to the infirmary, gathering around Jo's bed. She was sound asleep, as a nurse checked her pulse. "How is she?" Allison asked.

"Stable. For now." Allison sighed.

"Good."

Suddenly, Jo's dark eyes snapped open, and she glanced around, taking a deep breath.

"Jo?" Zane was at her side in an instant, and she turned her gaze to his.

"What's happened? Where am I?" She rose to sit up, only to discover herself strapped to the bed. "Why am I restrained? What did I do? Did I hurt someone?" She cried, fear in her eyes as she turned to look at Allison. The older woman quickly put a hand to her forehead, shaking her head.

"No, you didn't hurt anyone, Jo." She said gently.

"Jo, you've been... acting strange for the last couple days." Henry started.

"Do you remember anything of the last forty-eight hours?" Carter asked, meeting Jo's eyes. She shook her head.

"No! I... I remember... going to work and... going down to the Occidental Testing Lab with Fargo, but..."

"But nothing else?" Carter finished. Jo shook her head.

"Okay, let's give her a little room to breathe. Come on." Allison guided the others out of the infirmary, turning back to Zane.

"Go ahead. I'm going to stay here for a few minutes." She nodded, before leaving. Once she was gone, Zane turned back to Jo, who watched him with confused, worried eyes.

"What's been going on? I don't remember anything-"

He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. "Shh... shh... just calm down, Jojo. You're going to work yourself up and we can't afford it right now. Take a deep breath." She nodded, doing as told. He sat beside her, playing gently with her fingers. "How are you feeling, Jojo?"

"Like I've missed twenty-years of my life, but with no idea how." She looked up at him. "Do I know you?"

He stared at her, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Wh... of course you know me! We... we're dating. We're in love." She watched him, seeing the emotions run across his face like a NASCAR race. After a moment, she reached up, cupping his cheek. He pressed a kiss to her palm before pressing his cheek into her soft skin. Gently, he rubbed his cheek against her hand, feeling the slight catching as the stubble on his cheek briefly caught her skin.

"But I don't know you." She whispered, lowering her gaze. She caught sight of the chain around her neck, and pulled away from him; an old engagement ring hung around her neck- the same one Zane had slipped on her finger a week earlier. She still hadn't given him a definate answer, but at least she had said that she would consider it and let him know, unlike the previous time. Slowly, she picked up the ring and looked at it.

The ring was a simple diamond-cut emerald surrounded by a small ring of onyx on a simple gold band. More unique than the typical diamond engagement ring. It was beautiful, in a simple, individual way. After a moment, she looked up at him. "So... we're engaged?"

"No. We're not. But... I asked you, and you said you would think about it and let me know. That was a week ago."

"And I... I never gave you an answer?"

"We were going to go out to dinner two nights ago. You told me that morning that you'd let me know after dessert, but dinner never happened. And... neither did dessert."

"So I... never gave you an answer."

"No." He whispered, climbing onto the bed beside her. She thought a moment.

"Look... I don't know you, but-" He placed two fingers over her lips.

"Shh. Don't say anything right now. You're still too weak. And we don't know what's going on with you so... wait, okay? Until you're better." She nodded. He felt uncertainly race up his spine as her words ran circles in his head.

_I don't know you. I don't know you._

Carter had mentioned that she'd said the same thing to him during their arguement. And now...

He shook his head. No. No possible way.

"Um..." He turned his attention back to her.

"Yeah?" She swallowed.

"Wo... would you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone." He nodded, and watched the fear quickly feel her gaze.

"Of course." Then, he leaned down and kissed her gently, before laying beside her, his arm going around her waist as she snuggled into her chest. As she drifted off to sleep, her words once again rang in his head.

_I don't know you._


	11. Chapter 11

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Aw, that's so romantic."

Everyone turned to look at Holly. The girl was a hopeless romantic who had yet to discover that romance was hopeless. The small group watched from the hall as Zane settled beside Jo, wrapping her in his arms. Jack watched as he kissed her gently; jealousy began welling within him. But that was ridiculous. He was with Ali and Zane was with Jo. There was nothing between him and Head of Security.

Right?

"Well, I say we give them some privacy." Allison said, and slowly the group began to disperse, asking Allison to give Jo their warmest regards for a speedy recovery. She watched Henry and Grace head home before turning to Jack. "Shall we head home?"

The ride home was silent, both lost in their own thoughts. Allison's beeper was on so she could be contacted about Jo if needed. Every so often, she glanced at Jack, who appeared troubled about something. Once the door closed behind them, Allison said,

"Jack, we need to talk."

He turned from the tea kettle to stare at her. "Okay. About what?" He asked, setting a cup of tea in front of her. She took a deep breath.

"Jo."

He stopped mid-sip, startled, but quickly covered it up. "What about Jo?"

Allison thought a moment. She seemed to be mustering her courage to speak. Eventually,

"Are you in love with her?"

Obviously he hadn't covered it that well. "What?" He cried, setting his cup down. "Wh... where would you get an idea like that? Me? Love Jo? Wh... yes, but as a brother loves a sister. Like a brother loves a sister, Ali. She's my-"

"I know she's your best friend, Jack! You say that every five minutes!" She snapped.

"Huh, that's what Jo told me."

"That doesn't matter! Do you love her? Are you in love with her? Because if you are, Jack, tell me now!" She said, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Jack sighed, noticing how upset Allison was getting.

"Yes, Ali, I love her. But not like I love you." He said, going to her. She turned from him. "Ali, I love you. And I love Jo. You're both so important to me, how could I not? Jo was the first person I truly met when I came here. And we had our rough patches, but we got closer. I never had siblings- Jo was always one. The little sister I have to watch over and keep out of trouble. She's a pain in my ass at times, but I love her." He took her hands. "And you're the woman I love. I'll always love you. But... but right now, with Jo being so sick... and we don't know what's wrong with her... I have to protect her, Ali. I have to protect her."

She swallowed. "If... would you marry her? If you had the chance, would you marry her?"

"What?"

"It's a simple question, Jack! If you could, would you marry her if I wasn't around?"

"W... maybe. In an alternate universe and something had happened to you and Zane, probably. If you were both gone, and Jo and I had no one else to turn to, then, yes, I probably would marry her."

Allison pulled away, shaking her head in horror. He went to her and took her face in his hands.

"But... Ali... Ali look at me." After a moment, she did. "Ali, that's not going to happen. THis isn't an alternate universe and you and Zane are here. That will never happen, Ali. Trust me."


	12. Chapter 12

**Rifiuto: Non ****Miriena**

He awoke around two that morning.

Jo was still in his arms, sound asleep. He sighed, stroking her back. She'd been through so much, gotten hurt so much...

He sat up, wincing.

For a moment, he thought it was from sleeping wrong. But instead of fading, the pain got worse. Slowly, he sat up, careful not to wake Jo, and unbuttoned his shirt. His breath caught.

There, on his chest, sliced through his shirt, were five long gashes. Reminicent of a movie werewolf's, they were deep and precise. Silent, he got off the bed and hurried to find the nearest nurse. It took only a few minutes for him to be bandaged up, and when he returned to the bed, he found Jo laying on her side, staring at him. Her eyes seemed to glow like a cat's, and he recognized the familiar creepy green of her pupils, that quickly faded away.

"I thought you were asleep." He said, hiding the fact that his girlfriend was staring at him in a dark infirmary scared the hell out of him.

"I thought you were too." She replied, turning onto her back as he climbed back onto the bed with her.

"I... I got thirsty." She watched him, before turning back onto her side.

"I want to go home." She said. Zane watched her, noticing how she seemed to curl into herself, a lost child, alone and frightened in a strange city. He sighed.

"I know you do." He told her, laying by her side and wrapping his arms around her. He moved close until they lay together, and he pressed a gentle kiss against her neck. Moments passed in silence, before she looked back at him.

"Can you take me home?" He stared at her.

"Ah... I can't, Jo. You have to stay here. Allison's orders." The woman looked around.

"Is Allison here?"

"N... no... but..." She sat up, leaning over and turning the machine's off. Not long after everyone else had left, the nurses unstrapped her, deciding that she wasn't a threat to herself. Then, she removed the wires and tubes connected to her.

"Then take me home... Zane, right?" He nodded. "Please?" He sighed. He knew this was wrong, and if Allison found out, he'd be dead. But he couldn't say no to her pleading brown eyes, and, truth be told, he wanted Jo to himself without anyone else around. If only for one night. He knew the consequences, but he didn't care. Not right then.

The only thing he cared about was Jo.

"All right. Let's go home."


	13. Chapter 13

**********Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

The door shut softly behind them, and she looked around, arms around herself.

They'd taken a big risk, sneaking out of the infirmary at three in the morning, but they'd made it back to Zane's place in one piece. Now, they stood in the living room as silence overwhelmed them. Eventually, she asked,

"Um... c... could I have a... something to drink?" He nodded.

"Sure."

They settled on the sofa, sipping coffee and watching each other. Silence once again took over, before she set her cup down. "Um...can... can we... go to bed or... or do I have to stay down here?" He chuckled softly.

"You don't have to stay down here, Jo." He said, getting up and going to her. He helped her to her feet, and gently guided her upstairs. Once they made it to his room and shut the door, she turned to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She stared into his eyes for several minutes, reading everything on his face. After a moment, she leaned up and closed the gap between them, in a sweet, loving kiss. He pulled away, staring into her face, although he didn't need to. He knew who he was kissing.

Jo.

He was kissing his Jo.

The kiss soon turned, becoming sweeter, gentler. They moved back towards the bed, slowly removing clothing as they went. As they climbed onto the bed and lay back among the pillows and blankets, he told himself that they were doing the right thing. For a moment, he had to remind himself that this was his Jo, this was the woman he'd fallen in love with. He knew it.

He could taste it in her kiss.

Slowly, gently, he removed her jeans, tossing them to the floor along with his own. Her hands ran over his chest, brushing against the bandages. She pulled away, staring in surprise at the bandages beneath her fingers.

"What... what happened?" She asked, surprised. He sighed.

"I don't know. I woke up when we were in the infirmary, and... I had five... gashes. I don't know how they got there or what happened." She nodded, gently running her fingers over the bandages on his chest. He winced slightly, and she leaned up, kissing him. They were sweet, gentle, the beginnings of a tender night between two lovers.

They were gentle with each other; he was well aware of the toll her body had been through in the last few days, and he took his time, running his hands slowly down her body, reaquainting himself with her curves, with the soft hills and hidden crevices of her form. He trailed his fingers down her stomach, placing a kiss on her navel, and running his hands around her waist. She tangled her fingers in his hair, tipping her head back as his lips sucked gently on her neck, before nipping at her collarbones. The chain around her neck hung loose, the ring stopping just beneath her breasts.

Their lips met, and she closed her eyes, allowing her body to take control, like it had so many times before. No memory of this man resided within her mind, but his touch, his kiss was as clear as crystal. Her body responded like her mind couldn't, shivering at every touch, burning at every kiss, accepting him, in a way she found impossible.

Her heart beat out his name, recalling long forgotten nights of pleasure and tenderness. Eventually, they became one, taking it slow, sharing kisses and whispered words of love. His body yearned for her, and as they came closer, that yearning gave way to love. No longer were they just two people having a one-night stand, they were lovers, becoming one in a night of much-yearned for pleasure. When, hours later their love-making wore them both out, they curled into each others arms and slept.

Zane was the first to wake, at about six.

He watched her, tracing the contour of her face, searching for abnormalities in her bone structure, but finding nothing. He trailed kisses over her cheek, stopping as their lips connected. Slowly, her eyes opened and she stared at himm, surprised. He stared into her eyes, and for once, couldn't help smiling as he saw his old Jo staring back at him.

"What time is it?" She asked, hoarse.

"About... six-ten." She nodded, reaching up to cradle his cheek. He propped himself onto his elbow and watched her, noticing how relaxed she was, for the first time in days. Gently, he reached out and thumbed her bottom lip. "How are you feeling?"

She sighed. "Sore... like I was ripped in two." She added, thinking a moment.

"That's because we haven't done it in a while." He replied, smiling at her. She smiled back, tugging him down to kiss her. Slowly, their arms went around each other, and they let the kiss get deeper. When he pulled away, he asked, "Are you okay, Jojo?"

She nodded, licking her lips. "Yes. I'm fine. I... I just... can't remember..."

"Eureka?"

"No. Eureka I remember. I... I can't remember you. Or... or..."

"How about Henry? Or Grace? Allison? Fargo? Holly? Carter?"

With each name, he was met with a confused stare and a shake of the head. Gently, he brushed her hair away from her face, staring into her eyes. He thought a moment, planning on what he was going to say. Licking his lips, he said slowly,

"Who am I, Jojo?"

She looked at him, confused for a moment, almost like she didn't understand the question. Then, she appeared to sigh in realization. The name that came out of her mouth made his blood freeze.

"Carter."


	14. Chapter 14

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to purplepotatopig, mondler1998 and YveofDawn for reviewing 13.**

He pulled back, startled. It took him a moment to catch his breath and for coherent words.

_"Wh... what?" _

She stared at him, innocent as can be. After a moment, a look of confusion and then worry appeared on her face as she realized that she'd caused his reaction. "Are... are you _not_ Carter?"

He pulled away from her, moving to get up, but the confusion in her voice sent him back to the edge of the bed. He laughed softly to himself, before turning back to her. "I'm not Carter." He said, obviously hurt.

"Oh. Then..." She moved closer, sitting beside him. "Who are you then?" Her voice was soft, as she reached out to take his hand. He looked down as her fingers curled around his, and gently, he whispered,

"Zane." She seemed to soak the information in, before nodding.

"Well, nice to meet you, Zane. I... I'm Jo." She held out a hand, which he glanced at, before scoffing.

"You don't exactly introduce yourself to the person you had sex with the night before. Usually, you know the person before the sex."

She dropped her hand. "Oh. Sorry. Do... do we know each other?"

"Of course we do, Jojo. We're in love."

She stared at him, surprised. When she didn't say anything, he got up and proceeded to get dressed.

"I'm going to go make breakfast. I'll see you in the kitchen in a few, okay?" She nodded. Within minutes, he was gone, leaving her alone. She sighed and got up, grabbing her clothes and hurriedly getting ready. As she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she had to remind herself that everything would be okay in a few hours. She'd be free, and nothing and no one would stop her.

Zane looked up twenty minutes later to see Jo come into the kitchen. He set a cup of coffee in front of her, and she smiled at him, taking a sip. The two settled into silence; it was two hours before they had to go back to GD, and as much as Zane wanted to take her back upstairs and make love to her again, he knew that he couldn't. He had to take her back to GD. By now, it would be evident that she was gone.

She looked up from her coffee and asked, "So, what are we going to do today?"

He choked on his coffee. "Um..look... Jojo... I... I have to..."

"Have to what?" She asked.

He sighed. "I have to... take you back to GD."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

"Because you're sick. You need to get better, and... and it was selfish of me to take you out of the infirmary last night."

"But I wanted to go. And I'm not sick. I feel fine." She reached over and laid a hand on his arm. He shook his head.

"But you're not, Jojo. You're not fine. You're sick, and until we figure out what's wrong with you, you need to be in the infirmary. Okay?"

She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

And suddenly choked. He set his cup down and rushed to help her, but she pulled away, going to the sink. He moved to help her, until he heard her start to vomit.

"Jojo... Jojo, look at me." He said, grabbing a towel and going to her.

She raised her head, turning to look at him. Blood tinged her lips and spilled from her nose, dripping from her chin onto the stainless steel of the sink. He said nothing, only grabbed her head and pressed the towel to her nose. She shoved him away and returned to vomiting. Unable to help her because he wouldn't let her, he called the only people he knew could help her.

Allison and Jack.

He was so dead.

Half an hour later, Allison knocked on Zane's door, getting no reply. "Zane! Zane open up!" They could hear rustling and shouting on the other side, and gently, Jack pushed her aside, throwing his shoulder into the wood. It took only a few minutes, before he gave up and shot open the door.

"Zane? Jo?" Allison shoved past him.

"I'm going to kill him!" She snapped, making her way into the house. "Zane!"

"Leave me alone! I don't need you, all I need is _her_!"

Quickly, Allison rushed towards the stairs, stopping as the voices got louder. She turned, to see Zane on the kitchen floor, holding a struggling Jo down. _"Zane!" _The young man looked up. "What the hell happened?" She asked, joining him, followed quickly by Jack.

"She started vomiting blood, and then... and then this..." He gestured to the struggling woman on the floor in front of him. Blood dripped onto the floor, coating her hair and staining her shirt. Her struggling soon turned to seizures, and Zane gathered her into his arms.

"She... she's going into... into cardiac arrest. We need to get an ambulance over here, stat!" Allison ordered.

An hour and a half later, Allison closed the door to the infirmary and turned to Zane. "Now, do you want to tell me why you took Jo out of the infirmary last night?"

He ducked his head. "She asked me too. But... but it was her this time. It was our Jo. She's still there! She's still in there somewhere! This... this thing has taken control of her, but she's still there!" He said, in an effort to defend himself.

"What thing?" Allison demanded.

"When I held her down today, I told her that she needed me to be there, otherwise she wouldn't get through it alive. She... she looked up and me and... and said, 'I don't need you, all I need is her.' Please, Allison, I'm telling the truth." Allison thought a moment.

"Well, that doesn't-"

"Dr. Blake, we need you?" They turned as a nurse stuck her head out the door. Quickly, they all rushed into the infirmary. As they encircled the bed, they all saw Jo sit up, blood coming from her mouth and nose. In a voice that made Allison's blood stop, she cried,

_"She doesn't belong to you anymore, she belongs to me!"_


	15. Chapter 15

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to purplepotatopig, mondler1998 and lasqueege for reviewing 14.**

Allison took a deep breath and sank into one of the chairs in Fargo's office. After managing to sedate a struggling Jo, they'd returned to Fargo's to talk it over, but instead of talking, they all sat in silence.

Except Zane.

The young man was pacing like a caged animal, hands behind his back, muttering softly to himself as his mind furiously worked to put the pieces together. The others watched him, noting how stressed he'd become since Jo had started acting strangely, and began to worry about him.

"It doesn't make any sense!" He cried finally, not looking up as everyone jumped. "She's fine for... a... a few hours, and then... and then something happens and she's... she's not herself... but I know she's in there! I _know_ she is! Jo's still in there somewhere, it's just a matter of finding her!"

Allison closed her eyes, not wanting to speak up, but she had no choice. "Zane..." The young man stopped briefly, turning to her, but when she struggled, he resumed his pacing.

"Zane! Stop!" Carter lept to his feet and rushed to the younger man, grasping his shoulders to get him to still. Once he managed to look him in the eye, the sheriff said, "We have to be willing to accept, that Jo won't be coming back. That she isn't there, and that she's gone, and that when she dies, she'll be gone for good."

Grace choked on a sob, and Allison buried her face in her hands. Fargo swallowed the lump in his throat and Henry pulled Grace into his arms. Slowly, Zane looked up at him, confused. But then Carter's words began to sink in, and he pulled away, shaking his head.

"No. She's not going to die. She has to live. We... we have to get married and... and raise a pack of hellions and... she's not going to die. I won't allow it."

"Zane, we don't control who lives and who dies-"

"No, but we can stop it." And without another word, he left, leaving the others in silence.

Having left Fargo's office, Zane stopped by his lab and grabbed his tablet before making his way to the infirmary. Once there, he settled into the chair next to Jo's bed and began working. He managed to pull up the calender showing the dates for experimental showing.

Huh.

The only experiments that had been shown were the ones in Parrish's lab. And not long after that, Jo had started acting funny. All after going down to Parrish's lab...

He sighed, sent a quick text to Fargo, asking them all to meet him in the infirmary, and returned to his research, when he felt a hand on his arm. He looked up; Jo stared at him, watching him intently.

"What are you doing?" He struggled to find the right words, before clearing his throat.

"I... work. Trying to figure out what's wrong with you."

She rolled her eyes, turning from him briefly and reaching up to rub at her neck, as though suffering from a kink.

"Why? There's nothing wrong with me, I'm perfectly fine. And once I finally settle into this body and get her to stop fighting me at every turn, things can get back to normal." Zane just stared at her, mouth open in shock. She turned back to him, just as Fargo and the others entered the infirmary. Zane didn't notice.

"What? Don't look at me like that? Do you know how uncomfortable it is to try to get..." She shifted, as though uncomfortable. "acquainted and... relaxed in a body after being stuck in nothing but rods for so long? Oh, I don't mind the occasional tumbles... and there are... certain rewards I love... like you, but... overall, the whole experience is just so... unpleasant." She again rubbed her neck, closing her eyes.

When she opened them, she gave him a small smile. "Don't worry. Once she stops fighting me, everything will be so much easier. It's always easier after they die. Then they don't keep rearing their ugly heads. If I could, I'd have killed her early on, and I nearly succeeded, if it hadn't been for Doctor Blake and that idiot sheriff. They had to come and save her... it would have been easier if they left her alone and let her die, then I wouldn't have to go through this... unnecessary mess of trying to kill her."

She rolled her head once and then looked up at Zane, smiling at him. He glanced back at Fargo, Carter, Allison, Grace and Henry, shocked, before returning his gaze to her, her words sending chills down his spine.

"The independent ones are _always_ the hardest to kill."


End file.
